Summer updates: Orel Lev will serve in Israel’s military

Orel Lev, who is considered part of the incoming class of new recruits, will not be able to play for the Hawai’i basketball team for the next three years because of an obligation to serve in Israel’s military.

Hawai’i head coach Gib Arnold said Lev was called to duty for his home country just last week, and will not be allowed to petition for a delay.

“It’s mandatory in Israel … there’s some times where they can push it back and he was hopeful he could push it back,” Arnold said. “But they told him he has to do it now, and so he’s unable to leave the country for the next three years.”

Lev, a 6-foot-4 guard, was actually enrolled at UH for one semester, and was able to practice with the team for the second half of the 2011-12 season. He would have been a freshman in the 2012-13 season.

Lev is currently playing with Israel’s junior national team, and will be allowed to play for other teams in Israel throughout his military stint. He averaged around 25 points and five assists per game for his Ironi Tet high school in Israel during the 2010-11 season.

“It’s unfortunate for us – he’s a tough kid and a good basketball player,” Arnold said. “I think he would have developed. He would have only been a freshman, but he would have developed into a good player … we’ll have a chance three years from now. We might be able to get 21-year-old freshman three years from now.”

Lev would be considered an open recruit when he becomes eligible again in 2015, and Arnold said: “We’ll address that at that time.” There is also a possibility that Lev may want to play professional basketball in Israel after his military stint.

“That’s three years down the road,” Arnold noted.

Lev’s hiatus means there will be another open scholarship for the 2012-13 season. Arnold said he will likely “sit on it and hold it for next year.”

Arnold also noted that the departure will not affect the team’s Academic Progress Rate because Lev was in solid academic standing, and the NCAA does not penalize programs for losing student-athletes to military service.

• Arnold said he is still looking at “a couple of guys who we really like” for an open scholarship for the 2012-13 season. “Gonna wait a little bit on the academics as far as summer school and the finishing of summer school, things like that. We’ve got identified who we really, really like and we’re pulling for them academically to get it taken care of with the NCAA and get enrolled in school. And if not, then we’ll keep it for next year. We want to make sure we get the right fit.”

• After a one-year hiatus, the Outrigger Hotels and Resorts Rainbow Classic will return in 2012. The dates and teams for the 2012 Classic were announced on Tuesday. The four-team tournament will follow a round-robin format, and is scheduled for November 9, 11 and 12 at the Stan Sheriff Center.

The three teams joining Hawai’i in this year’s field are Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Houston Baptist, and Maryland-Eastern Shore. Hawai’i’s November 12 game against Houston Baptist will likely be a late-night start as part of ESPN’s “College Hoops Tip-Off Marathon.”

The Rainbow Classic started in 1964, and was changed from an eight-team tournament to a four-team tournament in 2009. It was not held last year due to scheduling issues.

51 Comments

Well, Thank you Orel for your time here during spring. You were well liked and helped with the team in practice. Wish you the best and take care of yourself and family, Hope the future will be bright for you!

Peace.

Dayton: timely update, that answers questions of possible academic qualifiers, it is a wait and see, there has been a lot of rumors going on, we knew that WarriorInsider would have THE LATEST and most ACCURATE report from the SOURCE : Gib Arnold and UH.

Mahalo Plenty Dayton , Good job..
P.S. With two scholies available, possibility with July heavy recruiting of late gets, would not be suprised if the right fit for a point guard, combo, or another athletic wing HS or JC 3 to play 3, will be here by August 2012 fall enrollment date..We will wait until Gib announces it, and you have the first update!!

Jim: that is an excellent point, I think once you take money for play, you are no longer an amatuer. Some past UH athletes ran into trouble just being on a team with pros though they did not get paid.

And thanks agian Dayton, agreed Jim, Dayton would clear things up, he is the Insider to UH MBB sports, glad he got the latest on rumors of who did or did not get in..it is still a waiting game, hope it turns out well, Gib making super sure, absolutely they get the right guy and now maybe guys to fit into UH MBB team, they do that, and this team will be good several years down the road..that is the mission.

I don’t know if Eagle knows this one , unfortunately I cannot go to baskeball summer league games because of disability, ahh what can you do, however have you seen Michael Harper play ? the Australian walkon, with the bodies available now for UH MBB getting thinner again, Michael and Dyrbe could be key players for this year’s team. Whether they are scout, or another Miah, and maybe a walkon version of an athletic Jake Sottos..remember him, when he got it going , he was pretty good..

Anyways, Dayton, Orel situation, how can you get around that, that is REAL WORLD situation, a possible Mideast crisis, something far more serious than MBB. Hope and pray Orel and loved ones are alright and will be alright..

Well al: if Vander goes pro it does not affect APR for one thing, wish he comes back and gets his degree and finishes a great senior season, helps Warriors win the BW and win a game in NCAA tourney..that would be the ideal,..unless he says otherwise, I would think he is coming back..hope the weather in Washington is good!

i don’t believe that orel will have that opportunity while serving in the israeli army. worst case scenario is that he loses that edge of having to participate in a more competitive situation if he even gets to ball while serving.

As I understand it, all able bodied Israeli citizens (male and female) have a duty to serve in the military, but the government is quite reasonable as to when one must serve and quite free handed with temporary waivers, if one has a chance to pursue legitimate opportunities elsewhere which may be lost if not taken. Lots of Israeli players have gotten waivers in order to go to school and play basketball in the US. UH’s Haim Shimonovich was one, and his situation appears to have been almost identical to that of Orel Lev. What do you suppose is the difference between Shimonovich and Lev? Lev was here a semester and Gib pronounced him the most athletic player on the team, so obviously there is opportunity for him here. My guess is that for whatever reason, Lev just does not want to be in Gib’s program. That makes 5 since the end of the season . . . so far.

Here is a recent posting on Eurobasket that paint not so nice picture on UH Basketball. This could hurt future recruiting down under if word get out that UH won’t allow its players to participate in their country basketball leagues to further develop their skills. Bad press

University of Hawaii deny Fotu

POSTED BY:
MIKE LACEY
E-mail Mike

In a surprise move, the University of Hawaii has instructed Isaac Fotu (203-F-93) to make himself unavailable for the Tall Blacks upcoming Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Caracas. On reflection perhaps this move is not so surprising as Fotu , since signing to play for the Rainbow Warriors, has been denied the opportunity to further his playing experience at every turn. Firstly he was denied an opportunity to play in the Australian National League for the New Zealand Breakers and more recently his attempt to play in the New Zealand League for the Harbour Heat was also blocked.
The coaching staff at Hawaii, have an intimate knowledge of basketball in Australasia but obviously are not as enlightened as their colleagues at the universities of St Louis, St Marys and New Mexico. These universities see the benefits of allowing Rob Loe (St Louis) to play for New Zealand and Matthew Dellavedova (St Marys) and Hugh Greenwood (New Mexico) to play for Australia. Perhaps they do not understand the thrill that playing for your country brings. Pre season training at university is probably important but surely the experience of playing against some of the worlds best players is of greater value to the athlete. In addition, having an international player on the team is prestigious for any school. For now at least Fotu will be denied this opportunity, leaving all associated with the New Zealand Tall Blacks, Breakers and Heat.

You can defend the coaching staff’s not wanting Fotu to play for the Breakers in the Australian National League, as teams in that league have pros, so that could negatively affect Fotu’s college eligibility, whether or not he were paid to play. Not sure why they would want to keep Fotu away from the National Team, except perhaps that Fotu still had some academic stuff to clear up.

Jim and Oahuan: You both make very valid points. We all hope the program and coach are not going to blow up. With Orel Lev’s case, he thought there was a possibility that he would get waiver from military service for awhile so he could play some USA college ball. As Gib mentioned in video, his country said no, come back home and fulfill your duty. Checked further, any other options to get exemption, none. He goes back..I don’t know if he will come back, he loved Hawaii, he did not want to leave, very well liked by Team and coaches, faculty.

Isaac, had to qualify academically per NCAA rules to get cleared, as with any international player, you have to go through a lot of red tape, …not as easy as a USA citizen.

Bottom Line: Orel might still be here, ..Hey Dayton , maybe you could do a short video clip with Orel asking him about his time here and whether he enjoyed it. That way fans who question whatever Gib is doing or not doing is valid..is Orel joining Military just to get away from Gib..? Why stick it out for spring session and do really well, and be with junior national team, and now want to join army? He should have packed up and left Hawaii at the end of May.
As for Isaac: Oahuan and Jim, ..I think that Isaace, Caleb, Brandon Spearman, Manroop, Garrett , and Hauns will be here by next week , start of 2nd summer session, ..since you fellow fans are closer to program and staff and admin, , boosters than a lot of us common folks..WHY don’t you ask them in person how they feel about Gib and Hawaii? I mean then you get it from the source, ..otherwise it is like that show..what is it, The Drudge Report, drudging, literally anything you can to validate, invalidate your feeling or opinion right or wrong.

Still feel, that REAL WORLD, the middle east and other places in the world really tense situation..so Israel calls their young men to national duty, they are upping their guard. So Orel fulfills his duty..as for Isaac, I haven’t heard or read anything form him personally, saying he doesn’t like Gib..Since you fellow fans, know the program, why not call Gib or Coach Fish, I am sure they would be glad to say, the guys they signed are anxious to get here. You know, I think returnees and new guys have something to prove to all , really not too many on this site, that they are wrong, ..they want to work hard in school, on the court , be good citizens off the court , have a wonderful privilege of being on full ride scholarship, and love playing in Hawaii and for its fans..

Yes Bottom line go to THE SOURCE, ask the guys in person, or ask Dayton to get video interview of them as they come or go..that ends any speculation..Orel leaving not impact APR, if Vander goes pro does not affect APR, at least what I have read or seen posted or on video updates..

Once again, whomever is on the court , and whomever the coach, if they win the BW and go to the NCAA next spring, tons of people will not be addressing these points, and if the kids coming in stick it out, and don’t transfer because of whatever..we can’t say anything about Gib and program, except..great job guys..if they have losing record and 3 or 4 guys leave again, I will join you guys in saying we need a change, otherwise, I think Gib is doing everything above board, he is on a high watch by UH admin, AD and NCAA, he would not do anything to jeopardize program , it would be foolish.

The Lev situation stinks. According to reports coming out of Manoa, he was a project and would need time to develop… but he would have provided depth at the 2-3 spots. Time to reload… but kinda hard this late in the game. So basically we “wasted” a scholarship on a player who was here half a semester… and at the same time were “handcuffed” by not having an additional scholarship to bring in another PG or athletic Wing. That’s the part that impacts us the most for next season…

UH is doing the right thing regarding Fotu. I read an article that he was allowed to practice for the Breakers (pro team) as a developmental player but not supposed to play. The Breakers head coach put him in an actual game which may force Fotu to sit a couple of NCAA games. Subsequent to that, UH instructed Fotu to not play in any more Breakers games otherwise that may impact his NCAA eligibility. So that can be defended… As for the National Team, my best guess is that the UH wants all its new players acclimated and available for summer session to get a head start with school (grades), player development, and team building. A player’s freshman year is always the toughest adjustment period so getting that going earlier allows the player to be in a better academic standing after his first year. Also, UH has allowed Vander, Davis, and Lev to play for their National Teams so it’s not like Fotu will be blocked forever… maybe just for this summer. Pitt signee Steven Adams isn’t playing for the NZ National Team either… where is the complaint on Pitt?

Sorry a correction, Orel is in Israel and let Gib know from there, so unless he comes back to tie up some things in Hawaii, he is and will be in Israel for at least the next 3 years..I make mistake like us all, who is perfect,? I don’t know of anyone on earth today.. My apologies!!

gobows: agree on that one, Lev was a risky won to offer scholarship too, they took that risk . It was a gamble. However, that opens up one more scholie. Since he was going to be a freshman, he had no D1 experience to bring to table, however, strong kid, good student and person, and athletic..he could develop..Now, Gib and staff will be going , in my opinion Full blast securing at least two good athletic wings to come in this fall, if not finding the right guys, at least hold scholie for next year, that is the right of coach. Lev must have been like Isaac, an under the radar possible great get,,I mean he was here, and Isaac tried too, by Spring of this year after finishing Israel HS system..he is smart kid,..it was a gamble, however national service and the instability in that region of the world caused this scenario..what can you say? They gambled…

gobows, I just look forward to the guys coming in next week, lets see how they do in summer league in summer school and in Hawaii, if they don’t like it in that 8 week period, well might as well pack up and go home by Sept , nah just joking..as always you and Oahuan, Eagle, Jim, Clyde , al, everyone, makes valid points..and they are well taken..

Could have offered that scholie to a USA guy..was a gamble , like shooting craps in Vegas.

There’s an interesting read on Manroop Clair that I found on the parsingthewac.blogspot.com site. It’s a copy-righted story so it would be wrong to copy and paste it here. Go the site and find the link. There’s also references to Dayton’s update.

You mean Fotu is not qualified yet but he is coming to UH attend classes and to qualify, that might be against the NCAA rules ? UH can not give aid to any prospect who has not met NCAA academic requirement.
UH maybe doing the correct thing in not allowing Fotu to participate in any pro league but to deny a kid the opportunity
to represent his country, that is a tough call. I think you create enemies with the national coaches, who have a big say in letting players come to play in the US or not.
The other major point is Fotu has already played games in the pro leagues and he could lose game for playing with and against pros. We only need to remember Haim and Savo situations of being considered pros and losing games.
The worst thing a university, coach or player can do is, lie to the NCAA, they will drop the hammer on a program. We don’t want the NCAA coming to UH because they will investigate the program in all area until they find a violation to justify the trip to Hawaii.
The AD need to start asking some questions of the coaches, to make sure our house is in order.

Orel, Thanks for the extended stay. Most of us, ‘At Your Age’, could improve both athleticism and shooting and I’m also pretty sure you’ll be a better player in three years. Here’s to hopin’ (we all still want to and) you make it back …Stay Safe…Shalom…

Comment: Would have thought pursuing the military waiver/ release woulda been high or highest on the list…Thought there was some risk becuse i was pretty sure that Haim Shimonovic had already completed his mlitary service. Think that for playing a physical Center-Power Forward role (versus the Euro-reputation for outside shooting instead of banging inside), the military time, physicality and maturity probably helped the former UH big man, as well as being a “Big 6-10” with a long wing-span and having reliable inside, ‘skyhook’ and mid-range shots. There’s usually pretty good physical athletes In the military. RE: the military teams used to beat the college teams, moreso during Wars, although the pendulum is now swung way over toward the Pro Prep ‘Amateur’/College Teams.

Olympic commitments should be over early enough to allow Vander’s return in time for start of classes. This should be true for any NCAA players — I hope Coach Krzyzewski (sp., always) saves a spot or two for good future pros…they only do Olympics once or twice per College career (maybe twice in Orel’s case)…the risk or challenge for Vander is that some of his coaches wanted to keep the team together, but I think he’s got them firmly convinced that he improves a lot (probably more) playing D-1 and getting coached up at UH (Thanks, Coach Fisher!). The call and Big Bucks of the Pros need to be held off one more season in favor of Vander’s commitment to getting that degree (which he seems to understand likely has value long beyond a Pro Career)…

RE: Fotu: I think Academic Qualification is a Good GUESS… Coach discussed earlier that NCAA Clearinghouse had different Levels of Expectations on Numbers of Classes and Which Classes must be in the Package to Qualify for D-1 ….
…and he wouldn’t be the first student that had difficulty figuring (with his HS Academic Counselors & Parents) which classes needed to be taken, however good a student he might be…(opinion: the sub-100 level Math classes at UH are really make-up/ remedial classes for the general population…). Got to help the NZ/Aussie coaches understand they can hurt a prospect’s future by breaking a rule or three…we’ve seen the NCAA Investigations and Assumptions versus Intnationals…hopefully they’re evolving … (US players are on the same court with pros…stipends are not pay… etc…

MyThoughts: What amazing (positive) energy it takes, and so much of it; what a Grinder every member of staff has to be, between spending weeks on the road, driving around, walking through neighborhoods looking for courts, recruits and their families, trying to earn their trust after other coaches have already “got” the ones they want and disappeared after showering them with attention… and you can’t show/display the disappointments, because it’ll drag you down as well as your staff, or your players or worse, drag you down with your recruits…

Even as a Fan, the ups and downs are draining…

At one time, the previous staff had just about sworn off International Players…
They’ve contributed a lot — Glad they’re back …

Jim nailed it first….
For the Program, Looking for More Consistent UP Sides…
Like he Said, Let’s Get it ALL Together…

TOUGH JOB…

A Few Good Test Scores on Future Recruits, Finish Good in ongoing/upcoming classes,
Smartly Cash in a Scholie or Two and we got some good things in play…

And keep close contact with the NCAA Compliance Specialists/Experts…
Stay Clean (like managed to even @ USC)…

Uhfanzonly1, please stop being blinded by your rose colored glasses and accepting as gospel everything Gib Arnold throws out there. Do you really think Gib just took a chance (“gambled”) that he could sign a young Israeli player who was supposedly the captain and leading scorer on Israel’s Natioinal Junior Team, bring him here for a semester and not think that he would have to deal with the player’s military service obligations? Any recruiter worth his salt knows the situation with Israeli kids,so if you haven’t done the work to make sure that an Israeli recruit will get a temporary waiver from military service to go to school and play in the US, you don’t bring the player in and put him on scholarship for a semester unless you are really inept. The way I see it, Gib’s telling everyone that Orel Lev is not coming back because Lev only now discovered that he has to fulfill his military obligations is either an excuse to cover up his ineptitude or a smokescreen to hide the fact that Lev simply does not want to come back. I think it’s the latter because it is hard for me to believe that Gib, as an experienced international recruiter, didn’t know the right strings to pull to make sure Lev could play for UH before bringing him in and enrolling him in school. Either way, Lev’s leaving is not a good thing for program or for Gib.

And puh-leese, no more spin about how this is a good thing because it now opens the way for Gib to pull one or two dynamite 6’5″ wing players out of his hip pocket for this Fall. Even Gib didn’t try that one, having already used it last year to hype the last minute desperation recruitment of Jefferson and Jawato. And puh-leese, no more minus equals plus because this shows how Gib is way out in front with his recruiting by brilliantly setting the stage for UH to resign Lev in three years. Actually, Gib did try to put this spin on it, albeit with a smile.

Here today gone tomorrow. 9 players have left the program. 5 Players were non qualifiers. 2 coaches left the program

Bo Barnes Fr. Gone.
D.Brumfield So. Gone
J. Coleman. Fr. Gone
A.salters. Jr. Gone
B. Miles. Fr. Gone
T. Wiseman. Fr. Gone
J.Thomas So. Gone
V.Joaquin So. Roese recruit
Rozitis So. Gibs recruit
D. Biggs. NQ
G. Blake. NQ
D. Mitchell. NQ
R. Stevens. NQ
T. McDaniels. NQ
H. Brereton. Gib recruit
S. Stokes. Gone
O. Lev. Gone
G. Jefferson. Gib’s recruit
J. Tavita. Gib’s recruit
C. Standhardinger. Roese recruit
This is what I see, when I evaluate Gib building MMB program to championship caliber. I don’t think his recruitment is on par with our expectation and the justification of the big raise he received. Great first season no expectation following the previous 3 years. But a bit of a drop off last season but we are expecting much more this coming season. The AD jump the gun on giving Gib the big raise with not much data to justify it. I’m still waiting for the other coaches to bring someone to program. We all knew who Nash, Wheeler and Ganot recruited but with this staff you never hear them mention.

You know Gib is a big boy, and adult, he is under contract, he knows the deal, he is going into 3rd year as HC..sure, as I have posted, I always add to my comments, if Gib has team under NCAA sanctions, or loses big time this season as well as half his team this year quits, well show him the door..He and staff, are working hard to get players..these are not McDonald’s AA ‘s, probably top 1000 in the Western United states and Africa, Canada, New Zealand etc…Sure, when the 4 guys left this year, and now with Orel Lev, check the official release at UH athletics, it raises concern, however, unless team under sanctions and tons of kids not going to his basketball camps, and still a lot of fans awaiting if HS athletic wing gets in..bottom line , you guys and I love UH MBB ball..I don’t agree with all of Gib’s past conduct or antics on court, however like Riley Wallace, the most successful coach all time at UH..hey Riley had 20 years to get it done..I give the coaches the benefit of the doubt..we will know by next spring if this program goes to the bottom of the sea like the Titanic..if the program gets hit big time like in the late seventies with probation, what are we going to talk about during college BBall season..I don’t want it to implode, neither do you, and you and you, why? We love the program and want to see it do well, even if a former local HS coach was running the program..so far, Gib has not had a losing season, so he is still on the positive side of ledger..what is wrong with that, look on the bright side, keep positive, aint’ that what we teach our keiki, if we don’t or haven’t , man that is why the world is problematic, it doesn’t have to be so combative over sports..let us be in peace my fellow UH fans..Aloha..!!

I understand they all got to get along; i think if he and Gib can agree to be so inclined, Jackson would be both a team player and effective in recruiting his established areas; he should be able to shift to high-schoolers, and since Riley declared truce, loyalty to previous staff shouldn’t be an issue versus “getting a job/career in the business and place you love…”
seems his talent evaluation skills might be slightly better than some on the current staff for the current D-1 challenge… I think Gib is aiming higher, but so far the stretch isn’t ‘proven’…

Would have preferred that the original signees all worked out… But I think he would’ve risked dying on the vine if he continued to invest that many scholarships (Barnes & Shaq woulda probably been o.k.) in players on the down-slope and already moping… (we woulda kicked that kind of attitude off of most of our teams, even if among most-“talented”…)

Roese was a big loss (check the names) but didn’t he take a good/step-up position?
I think I knew they were primarily Roese’s contacts/efforts. The coaches themselves told me they are “all expected” to visit/evaluate prospective recruits (and budget was increased by AD to support that).

Rather see improvement in results,

but if dropped off, would (normally) expect at least a downgrade in salary…

But McMackin tried/ offered that… (after two post-season appearances & a Conference Championship in three years)

Suspect AD is also on short leash (there’s little patience nowadays in the “Accountability Atmosphere…”

Eagle: always appreciate your comments. You are right, and all of us in the know, where does the buck stop in regards to athletic programs and their coaches, Jim Donovan..I believe in the final year of his current contract, you would imagine Jim is working his tail off making sure all programs running clean and trying to stabilize, he realizes if major programs start that slide, and more debt and discontent he could be out of job. I like Jim, he never said he was perfect . he made mistakes too..he wants his legacy to be, he put all out to improve UH athletics..I give him credit for that, bascially his whole adult life has been spent in Hawaii, so he loves it and UH sports..Hope for all programs to have banner years this coming 2012-13 season..

Yes Eagle, that is what separates us from the Big Timers, those huge private donors..if Bishop Estate had vested interest in UH athletics and academics, I mean a huge vestment, could solve athletic shortfalls, create world class athletic facilities, expand and upgrade an alreday great SSC, build an on campus football stadium etc.

However, as al mentioned: that was a very, very good thing Jim did..that is a huge plus on his evaluation sheet..joining MWC..for football, if BW , had upgrade in Basketball teams huge too, however, ..I am thinking for now Gib and growing pains of his MBB program, BW maybe more chance to win it for now..Gib keep the ship headed straight and stabilize that rudder, shore up the leaks and sail into Basketball Blue waters of the NCAA tourney..You can do it Gib..you are learning on the run, and if you can survive these first 3 years..you can have a great next 3 or 5 years..gotta stay positive..however realistic..let’s wait and see if maybe 2 more athletic players can be signed for this year and all returnees on board..best to Orel, stay safe brother!!

The move to MWC was a result of a relationship of two buddies from the time up campus at UH.
The AD was the clean up guy. However, we should give the AD credit for the move of other sports to the Big Wasteland Conference. Why not hold out until the dust settled than plot a course of action, instead of thinking the sky is failing.
Utah State and San Jose ended up in MWC.
Boise State can’t make their mind where they want to be but they still have options. Hawaii is getting a raw deal of having to pay to be in a conference and subsidize the team travel of all conference team. We join the Big Wasteland Conference
and we have pay to play in that conference. We get no help from the teams when we go to the mainland to play. But all those team pay team travel for all their non conference opponent.
Fellow fans we are talking a lot money that we get impacted by with higher ticket prices, higher food prices, parking and a fee to buy the ticket. Let me see I can watch the games on TV for a cheaper price and I can kick it with my boys and girls and I can drink my favorite drinks and not have to drive or I don’t have to worry about someone telling me to sit down. So the arena and stadium are half empty or half full however you look at it and we wonder why people don’t go to the games. TV is the greatest deal going, but it is at the expense of the university to provide a great atmosphere for it’s athlete and the bottom line.
If you want to watch the games live, UH should get the cost of a season package from TV and if you want delayed games you get them at the current price. Live game price will help pay for those travel subsidizes.
This just one person opinion

Yeah, i think ALL LIVE Pay-Per-View would help defray the additional travel subsidy cost; and maybe the Travel Industry should address the Travel Cost Issue …NO Question Hawai’i sports also functions as “Travel to Hawai’i” Advertising…

i think Hawai’i fans are spoiled having got it free for so long, so many will just ignore …Lots Will Not Pay what i think is their fair share …

IF they want a good or top-notch program then they better be ready to start doing something… similar to The Student Activity Fees …

Alternatively the Legislature and Hawaii Visitor’s Bureau can start paying their share … Time to Stop Acting like a Small-Time Town …

Dayton: just your personal take, opinion on Aaric Armstead, I finally found online the tweet from Andy Boogard Fresno Bee sports writer about Armstead SAT score lacking and not going to Hawaii or to that effect. Is this a confirmed tweet or source, is Aaric out of the picture.? Another poster, said he found another tweet saying that Aaric did not know all his scores yet. I wonder if he is finishing summer school?

You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to. Just kind of weird how information came out. a tweet from a sports writer, not their local sports paper the Fresno Bee , or your site or Brian’s tweets or court sense..

I support Gib in his coaching philosophy and his all-or-nothing approach to the sport. Coach is a driven type and never does anything half-a_ _. He expects his players too to be all out whether it is on the practice floor or game. This is what it takes to be successful. But when guys see that they put in all this hard work and just sit on the bench they are thinking to hell with this. After all why kill yourself and not have the opportunity to play. They could be playing at another school. I don’t believe any starting player transferred; matter of fact I believe their improvement can be attributed to Gib’s program. Conclusion: transfers will happen. Even the best schools have dissatisfied bench warmers transferring. Perhaps Orel saw what happened to Shak Stokes, how much effort he put in, and thought best for him to serve the Israel Army now and turn pro after. There’s nothing wrong with the program. That’s just my opinion.

Servante: All excellent points, I think a team is reflection of coach and staff ultimately. Gib was like that in youth and through Punahou I gather(what State HS BB player of the year)..gym rat, hard worker, over achiever..you know that is how I was coached through Baseball, Basketball, football, etc..work hard and see success for it..Maybe different nowadays…You know Gib could lash back at the naysayers, however he seems to really want team to be good, and he is learning as new HC..if he gets the kids that will play and stay for him in his system, I think Gib will have success. You know Laura Beeman, excellent WBB coach. ..very passionate, was a very good point guard in college, all american..so she knows hard work , and will, expect it from team as well, ..same with Norm Chow..

Gib gets it going this year, with what he calls a great bunch of guys, I think they will , with current roster even, be good!! The other players wanted another system..fine, they can make a choice,..Gib is hard worker,..same like Norm and Laura, I think all three will have good careers here with the kids willing to work in system..! Just my opinion!!

Taken altogether, the overall numbers of transfers can be ‘alarming’, although as reported in many journals, this likely reflects an NCAA wide issue, in general with 40%+ freshman transfer rates. Due to the ‘extreme’ distance, isolation (we’re the ONLY D-1 program where you can’t drive home, and even military adults have difficulty with this) and cultural differences, it can be expected to be a greater challenge for freshmen here; which led to earlier administrations abandoning freshman recruiting as a primary target, even Before the Recent NCAA Up-tick.

Although i agree with the comment (made by many) that you need to look at each case individually, it often helps to group similar indications to identify and potentially fix or address trends.

1) Players who were probably projected to have good opportunities to improve and maybe increase their importance to the team, including that all-important (self-)metric, playing time: So even with reasonably bright outlooks, as Bo Barnes, Shaq and Orel demonstrated, ‘Stuff Happens’ (or decisions are made and a good ‘reason or justification’ is provided) — for them and previous players that can mean anything from family issues, girlfriends, adapting to Hawai’i, team or player-coach dynamics, military service or church mission. The freshman adjustment/transfer is a long-standing issue that must be addressed regularly with every freshmen until performing adequately and comfortable within the environment, as a minimum through the second year return (after returning home, sometimes harder to choose to leave that all behind ‘again’.)

2) Players who were facing prospects of decline in roles/PT: Bobby, Trevor & Joston all showed two years of improvement, although erratic and not reliably consistent (leading to individual player frustrations), but were learning roles, reducing turnovers, better-handling school, so probably could have had decent roles or completed their college careers here. They all could, however foresee, along with the coaches that their history of erratic/declining playing time (depending on skills, attitude or team dynamics) were likely to worsen unless they could either resolve within themselves the potential decline in PT or muster up a significant boost in performance …

Additional Comments:
1) The type of issues in the First Category, i would expect to continue as long as we continue to bring in freshmen (which staff/program still wants). Freshman adjustment issues are similar throughout the entire college population.

2) Issues in the second category relate to: a) Coaches’ evaluations of players being recruited; b) Program Start-up and late identification of coaching staff which can/does lead some staffs to accept marginal players (which is also true of the majority of the other players who left before these three). 2b is likely a short-term or one-time issue — IF we had continued to focus on JC Recruits, as with previous administrations, it would be an ‘every year issue’ as 5-7 players per year only have one to two years to adapt to the system. 2a is ‘fixable’, especially where all coaches are involved in evaluation as in this staff (and similarly adopted by football coaches) BUT is Not Simple, as today’s NBA Draft will demonstrate in the next year or two…

3) The relatively new “Overall NCAA Issue with High Transfer rates” will probably need to be addressed as a larger organization, such as Not Penalizing for Transfers in Good Standing, Rules or Limitations on Agents or AAU Coaches, etc.

n2o4joy: and we appreciate YOUR comments too! Great positive, and all for UH and Warriors fan! Thank you and much mahalo. Hey Dayton, your site is rocking..great job by you and your staff, and the graciousness to let us post or opinion and thoughts ..there are a lot of fans who do care about UH MBB and UH athletics..it is not dead, it is just getting revived and we look forward to great things in coming years..

I still cannot remember this much interest either way for or against UH MBB, I say, 100% or posters WANT UH to succeed, and despite a level of expectation of any coach getting a good salary paid by UH and Hawaii, I support Gib since he is the appointed current Head Coach, and joy as I said..he is good Father, husband, family man, has a great supportive wife Lisa, and 5 really nice kids..Go get em Gib..we WANT to get program going , which you have done..and now take it to that next level, majority are with you..we just want to win, as you do..Aloha Gib and staff, team and Arnold family..

I agree with Uhfanzonly1 that I still can’t recall when the last time we had this much interest in UH basketball (either for or against)… My UH basketball recollection only spans from mid-RW years to present… but interest was pretty terrible pre-Gib… While Gib isn’t perfect and I do have my fair share of concerns… he’s managed to keep people interested in the program throughout the entire year (good or bad).

Dayton: Great job with this site! This post alone is close to 50 comments. AWESOME!!!

IF I didn’t know (or think) better And was a True Conspiracy Theorist…

I would think Dayton had convinced Gib to use The NFL Model to boost interest, ratings and ticket sales –
– Keep Something Good, Bad or Indifferent (even ugly) In the news just about every day…
“All Publicity is Good Publicity…”

Could more have been done, more written into the drama, reality script?
Write Off, “Kill” even, a few stars, all the Star Trek seconds wearing the “red” (bench) uniforms…

———-

But Seriously, Great Job, Dayton, Sponsors and Company!

IT Actually Looks Like Interest IS GROWING…

AND (depending on Summer Classes, Grades, Degrees, etc.) RECRUITING IS STILL Going’ On…

And Two Scholies Remain, maybe to be Cashed In — BETTER BE GOOD, Not Gifts to New Walk-ons who wouldn’t otherwise draw our interest; (Yes, share when can with current walk-ons like Jace, Jawato or Harper) — we no longer just need “numbers” ‘cos I have NO DOUBT This Staff can find another FOUR Scholarships (or more) worths Good to Great Recruits in the Next Year…

And Next Week NCAA Summer League Amps Up with at least one current (usually two) UH player and Recent Talented Alumni…

Well gobows, Eagle and other fans, let’s make it an even 50! Hope any of you got to see if Michael Harper in town or got to play in summer league tonite? How did Dyrbe do? Any Shamburger sightings?

There you go Five Oh. 50!

This is a great site Dayton, I know has to be funded, hope it continues , and those fantastic sponsors we appreciate. this is a fan friendly zone, not really abusive at all! Thanks a million times over for all UH MBB fans..Now Gib go get a few more athletes and let’s rock and roll this 2012-13 season..you guys can do it!!